Wisconsin’s D’Cota Dixon rewarded for achievements on and off field, Alex Hornibrook working overtime and more

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The award, which is determined by the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics, honors “student-athletes who have overcome great personal, academic, and/or emotional odds to achieve academic success while participating in intercollegiate athletics.”

Bet I finish strong.. Waiting for this last exam like a dawg-gone football game..!😅 COMPETEE!!!😬

As someone who fought through constant family upheaval as a kid, and overcame injuries on a yearly basis to become a vital member of the Badgers’ defense, Dixon fits the award’s description almost perfectly. A member of the Dean’s List at Wisconsin, he is the definition of student-athlete and as genuine as they come.

A lot of Dixon’s strength comes from his faith. He leans on it in good times and bad. That was on display last September when Wisconsin upset No. 5 LSU. Dixon had the game-winning interception, only to be pounded into the ground while celebrating by Tigers OG Josh Boutte. It was a cheap shot, and following the game many were calling for Boutte to be suspended. Dixon was not. Instead, a few days after the incident, he told a reporter that he and Boutte talked on the phone, he forgave him and by the end of the call they were praying together and had built a bond based on their faith.

But it’s not just faith that makes him who he is on the football field. Dixon pushes himself and is seemingly never satisfied. Take the game against Nebraska last October. It was Dixon who broke up the final pass of the night in the end zone to preserve Wisconsin’s overtime victory. Yet, when he met with reporters after the game, that wasn’t the play he was thinking about. No, he couldn’t get his dropping of an interception the play before out of his mind, pondering the ‘what ifs’ had he not knocked the ball down the next play. He couldn’t bear the thought of seeing his teammates’ faces if they had walked off the field without a win.

There are plenty more stories that capture just who Dixon is, but most of them accentuate the qualities that make him unique in college football. He’s tough, inquisitive and a thinker that doesn’t hold grudges and relies on faith and family to get through the hardest times. Few athletes have represented Wisconsin on — and off — the field better than Dixon has in his three years on campus.

You can take that any way you want, but considering how he worded his tweet, it appears Thomas was doing some playful subtweeting of the quarterback at his alma mater … which is just fine. It’s the type of tweeter that Thomas is.

But it doesn’t take away from the fact that Hornibrook was looking for some workout partners during the Badgers’ monthlong break between spring ball and the start of summer conditioning. And it’s right in line with what we’ve come to expect out of the redshirt sophomore. He loves the game of football and takes almost any opportunity he can to improve himself — be it going out to California to train with noted quarterback guru George Whitfield, staying after every practice to throw with receivers or putting out a casting call for help near Philadelphia.

Hornibrook may never become an elite quarterback, but there’s not a chance it’ll be because he doesn’t work hard enough.

Big day for Bronson Koenig

The NBA draft isn’t until the end of June, but any hope Bronson Koenig has of hearing his name called will start on Thursday in Milwaukee. That is when the former Wisconsin guard will take part in a pre-draft workout with the Bucks, doing so two days after his ex-teammate, Nigel Hayes, did the same.

I'm rollin with @BronsonK_24 drafted/undrafted It don't matter he's going to play in the NBA. NBA level shooter off the bounce and catch.

Koenig is surely realistic and likely knows there is little chance he gets drafted. There are only 60 picks, and there’s not a draft site around that considers him a top-60 talent in this year’s class. But that doesn’t mean he can’t make it.

There’s always room for shooters in the NBA, and there is no doubt he can light it up from the outside. The La Crosse, Wis., product is Wisconsin’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made, hit 8 of them in an NCAA Tournament game against Virginia Tech earlier this year and is fearless when it comes to taking the final shot. There are few who have worn the Wisconsin uniform who were more clutch than Koenig in his four seasons playing for the Badgers.

Former UW star guard Bronson Koenig will audition for Bucks on Thurs. Koenig will have several other workouts in next few weeks. #nbadraft

If Koenig wants to play professionally, and clearly he does, he’ll have the chance. Whether that’s in the NBA, the D-League or somewhere in Europe remains to be seen. But it will be, like much of his career in Madison, fascinating to watch.